


I Think We're Alone Now

by kalika_999



Series: Jack and Brock's misadventures [69]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Awkward Conversations, HYDRA Husbands, House Party, M/M, Self-Esteem Issues, Social Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 11:22:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18497932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalika_999/pseuds/kalika_999
Summary: The guy tips his head back and laughs, loud. It’s a nice look on him.  Jack is still confused about why he’s here.





	I Think We're Alone Now

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hydra_Trash_Gal](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hydra_Trash_Gal/gifts).



> This all started because you were quoting that Tiffany song and it got stuck in my damn head. I should really be mad about it. lol :P

“ _I think he’s alone now.._ ” 

Jack blinks and looks at the person leaning against the wall next to him, it used to be one of the girls from his linguistics class and now it was taken over by the hot guy from Steve’s football team. Like, stupidly hot despite only seeing him in one game because he’s not really into the sport. Bucky dragged him with promises that he would like it and yeah, he may have enjoyed it for that one player in particular. Though he didn’t really seem like the type who comes up to talk, well sing, to Jack at frat parties, where there are a number of attractive women who he could be dancing and mingling with. 

“What?” He asks. Or maybe stammers. 

The guy just smiles, easy. His hair is much better up close, sorta peacock looking and defying gravity, not like when he pulled off his helmet and threw it while red faced and yelling at one of the opposing team’s players. “I jus figured you’d be into the track playin’, since you were noddin’ yer head along to it.” 

“I um,” Jack trailed off in thought before picking up his words again. “I like 80’s music, so I guess so. Surprised you’re into it.” 

The guy tips his head back and laughs, loud. It’s a nice look on him. Jack is still confused about why he’s here, the both of them taking a drink from their beers. 

“Ah yeah, guess m’caught.” He admits. The twist of his lips is a little wicked, but there’s something in his eyes that’s not. “It’s a good song though. And the lyric fit to come over ‘ere with after that girl left.” 

“ _Misquoting_.” Jack corrects, because apparently he can’t help himself. “It’s ‘I think we’re alone now.’.”

The guy’s lips twist up a little more. “Well, sure, but this one’s more relevant, yeah?” It’s followed by a laugh that doesn’t seem entirely real. Jack’s not going to get into that with some very hot and very gym rat looking guy who just appeared next to him though. He’s still struggling to remember his name.

Fortunately there’s something about him, about the fact that despite looking like the kind of guy who should be dancing with a ton of girls and hooking up with all of them possibly at once, he’s leaning against the wall in the back with Jack and that makes Jack tilt his head slightly at him. “I think he’s alone now.” He suddenly says. 

The guy laughs, confusion across his features. “What?” 

“I mean, I thought- I figured you were going for some kind of back and forth and- ” 

“Well, sorta but I wasn’t exactly thinkin’ this all through after I got yer attention..” 

“Uh, right okay. Sorry I must have- ” Jack stammers, looking down at his hands. Of course he’d do something like this. He was better with dealing with random people than he was in high school but he’s still going out to say something stupid. 

“Nah, this works too, ya know?” The guys shrugs, but he’s definitely laughing. Jack knows that he has a tendency to assume people are laughing at him, not _with_ him, but he’s the one who just did something stupid, so he thinks it makes sense here. “Okay anyway. Since we’ve officially fucked up a Tiffany song and we’re both alone at a party my next question’s gotta be why do ya look like yer at a funeral? Or did yer mutt run away?” 

“I don’t have a dog.” It’s all Jack can think to say. 

The guy snorts. “Yeah? You look like you’d have a few. But really. Yer young, fuckin’ hot..” He thumps at Jack’s chest with a hand. “ _Solid_. Yer lookin’ good in them jeans ya got on and I _know_ girls ‘ave been checkin’ ya out but you don’t seem to notice none of it. At a party!” 

Jack is definitely red now. “I’m -I mean, I’m not uh, I’m not meaning to, to look put off?” 

“Yer definitely doin’ somethin’ with that face.” The guy smirks at him. It doesn’t exactly mesh with all the stuff they’ve been going through on, or the way that this feels like he’s hiding something or holding back. Jack spends a lot of time on his own just observing things, he likes figuring people out and he knows when they’re avoiding saying more.

He had no idea what the guy means with the last thing he said which just adds to his pile of confusion. “Why are _you_ down?” He asks instead. The guy’s eyebrows go up. 

“Down? I’m doin’ great actually, didn’t you know? Ask anyone!” He gestures out towards the crowd like a king to his people. No one bats an eye his way. 

Oddly, it’s nice. Jack hates things like this, where he doesn’t really know anyone and feels out of place; he’s too big and too awkward and too quiet, but he knows how to go along with things, adapt and be the part if he’s spoken to. He’s also good at knowing how to take care of people that aren’t him, be a comfort. “Yeah, I see that.” he agrees, easy. “Then again, you’re against the wall with me instead of partying, so.” 

“Maybe I’d rather stick with you. Better company. I’m Brock by the way.” 

Jack looks at him, tries to see past the endless muscles and the hair and the way he manages to make taking a sip of his beer obscene. “Yeah, I saw you in the game yesterday, you played really well. Buck told me you’re always someone to watch.” 

Something flickers behind Brock’s eyes. But he grins again. “That was nothin’, sorry I got benched after that fight though or you woulda been in for one hellova show.” 

Jack believes him, Bucky’s said as much when he was sent off. He also said Brock was a real asshole if he wasn’t into talking to someone and he was sure he said that because his best friend could always tell when he was checking a guy out. Though so far there’s been nothing to show him that side of Brock in how he’s talked to Jack, and Jack knows when someone’s being an asshole, even when subtle.

“Maybe don’t throw your helmet in some guy’s face after he takes his off.” Jack deadpans, because again, he can’t help himself. That same look darts over Brock’s face before he laughs. Jack keeps looking at him. He doesn’t know how to say it, but he hopes Brock gets it..that he’s just teasing and it’s not to get rid of him. He’s just that fucking awkward.

Brock looks away, down through the crowd of people. “Well, maybe he’ll know how to keep his trap shut then next time, huh?”

“Maybe.” Jack agrees. “Is that why you’re over here instead of over by the kegs? You feel like you let them all down?” 

“Nah.” He shrugs carelessly. “I jus hate parties.” 

“You hate parties?” Jack finds that curious coming from him. 

“Sure. It’s a weird sorta thing fer me. Yer expected to drink, act like an idiot and drink some more, get totally shitfaced and maybe take someone up to yer dorm room or in one of the bedrooms up ‘ere and have a little fun. Don’t get me wrong, sometimes that’s fun, and I’m up fer it but it gets _old_ too. You know how it goes.” 

“Um.” Jack doesn’t exactly know how it goes. He doesn’t attend many parties and he was only dragged out to this one because Bucky begged him to come instead of letting him study for an upcoming test since Clint wanted to spend time with Nat, _alone_. He went as far as to pull out the ‘you owe me’ card and Jack caved. Of course the minute he saw Rogers, he was ditched and now he was here, against a wall talking to Brock of all people. “But you’re here anyway.”

“Eh.” He shrugs. “I was bored. S’fine, ya know? Free booze.” He wiggles his empty beer bottle for emphasis and flashes another smile. “Nice company.”

“Oh, I’m not- ” Jack mutters, taken aback and Brock laughs. 

“Ya do that a lot, yeah?” 

“What?” 

“Deflect so ya don’t gotta talk bout yerself.” Brock presses is shoulders against the wall, stretching himself out with a small sigh then raises an eyebrow at Jack. “Got me talkin’ about m’self so ya didn’t ‘ave to say why ya looked so down when all I was doin’ was comin’ over ‘ere outta the goodness of my heart, or somethin’ like that.” 

“I, uh. I don’t know..” Jack starts, and there go his words again. “I mean, I don’t mean- ” 

“Whatever ya say.” Brock throws out. He’s teasing him, but not to be cruel. “You can tell me anythin’, I told you shit, ain’t that enough to let someone in?” He smirks and leans in a little closer. “I promise, whatever ya give me, I can take it.” 

Jack flushes again. “I just, um. Don’t really know anyone here. I feel stuck.”

“Oh?” 

“Buck ditched me and I’m just waiting for him to find me. I don’t know what else to do, everyone is just- ” He tilts his chin at the dance floor. “So, I, um. Don’t- ” He’s not sure how to finish that because of course. 

But Brock just laughs again and pushes himself off the wall. Jack tramps down his immediate reaction to assume that means Brock doesn’t like him and is just going to leave. He’s not thinking like that anymore, he has to keep reminding himself that. “That’s an easy fix. I’ll introduce ya to some people and go from there, come on.” He grabs Jack’s wrist, tugs him from the safety of where he stood and Jack lets him. Brock’s eyes skim over him again and there’s a look in them that Jack might take another way. “Yeah shit, I’m definitely gonna find ya some people. Are you interested in jus talkin’ or talkin’ then..somethin’ else?”

“I don’t- ”

“We’ll see where it all goes, c’mon. I’ll be yer wingman tonight.” Brock’s tugging him towards the dance floor, but Jack digs in his heels in abrupt panic. 

“I don’t dance.” 

“Seriously?” Brock stares at him in genuine surprise. “Lookin’ like ya do?” Jack blushes again and Brock seems delighted over it. “Okay alright, _fine_. We can go to the kitchen for liquor, you up for drinkin’ somethin’ other than beers?”

Jack exhales a sigh of relief. “Definitely.” 

“Great. So we’re gonna get you minglin’ with some people and hookin’ you up. There’s _tons_ of hot girls around ‘ere- ”

“What about guys?” Jack interrupts. He’s not letting this go any farther without that being sorted out. Not when Brock’s pulling him around with a hand on his wrist like he’s allowed to. 

Brock pauses and looks back at Jack, a lot goes over his face at once like it’s hard to process, he doesn’t miss the way Brock licks his lips though. “Guys,” He says out loud like in a momentary daze, and really looks like he falters for the first time. “No problem. There’s plenty of hot guys ‘ere too, we can find ya someone.” 

“I don’t- ” Jack takes a breath, frustrated a little at himself. The idea of meeting a ton of new people sounds exhausting right now and the longer there’s talk of it, the more anxious he’s becoming; thinking of Brock handing him off to someone else just seems like a terrible idea too and he hates it. “Or we could not do that? We could,” He shrugs shyly. “Just, you know, hang out together?” 

Another one of those moments where Brock doesn’t seem to know what to do with that statement happens, not in a bad way, just in a confused way. “I- yeah, great. That works too.” His grins, bright this time, and it’s a little blinding. “As long as I can get another drink.” 

“Yeah, I need one too.” Jack agrees. He lets Brock pull him over towards the kitchen, doesn’t break the hold on his wrist. It’s not until they’re most of the way there that Brock looks back, notices that he’s still holding on, then looks up at Jack, like he’s braced for something. Jack doesn’t know what he’s looking for, so he stays as he is. 

“Hey.” Brock says. “What’s yer name? If we’re gonna hang out, I need to know.” 

“Jack.” Jack tells him. “Jack Rollins.” 

“Jack Rollins.” Brock repeats, like he’s trying it out. Jack is a hundred percent sure that he didn’t need to say it that slowly or that drawn out though, or look so intently at Jack as he said it. “Well, Jack.” He drawls out and gives him a wink. “Ya had my curiosity, but now ya ‘ave my friendship.” 

“You had my curiosity, but now you have my attention.” Jack corrects, because once again, he can’t help the smartass in him. “Do you always butcher every famous line?” And Brock laughs again, loud and amused, a hand pressed to his stomach as he shakes his head. 

“Yeah, definitely.” Brock grins, amused but there’s a calmness about him. His gaze roams over again, makes Jack’s mind wander at what the future holds for the both of them after all this. “I’ll gladly butcher every damn famous line in existence jus to get ya to pay attention to me. Might as well get used to it.”

Jack feels his ears grow warm and he slips his wrist out of Brock’s grasp just to take his hand properly. 

He supposes tonight isn’t as boring as he thought.


End file.
